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Nestor Aparicio

Wanna follow the MLB Draft?

Nestor Aparicio

If you listened to today’s edition of Limited Access, you now know about Ben Hyman, a local product and son of longtime sportswriter Mark Hyman, who is doing all things MLB Draft tonight at his website www.withthefirstpick.net. Hyman will be live blogging (on caffeine no doubt) for the next three days as the MLB Draft unfolds. So, in the world of overkill with NFL and NBA Draft coverage, Hyman is going where few have dared to travel: the world of figuring out the very inexact science of drafting MLB players. Follow his live blog and have some fun with the draft. Who knows? Maybe the next Matt Wieters is coming tonight…

Orioles: Shut out, swept & headed home on 5-game losing streak

Nestor Aparicio

Bad pitching has become a hallmark of the 2009 Orioles but this weekend’s bizarre meltdown in Oakland has solidified the basement in the AL East for the Orioles who have a lot of problems coming back to face the Mariners here at Camden Yards on Tuesday. Today, Rich Hill didn’t make it out of the first inning, walking four and hitting another Athletic en route to a three-run first inning that held up for the duration in a 3-0 loss to complete the sweep at the hands of the A’s. Strangely enough, the A’s only had two hits yet still manhandled the Orioles despite amazing relief pitching from Brian Bass, Matt Albers and Jim Johnson who were nearly perfect. The Orioles are now 24-33 and deeper in the basement than they’ve been in a while at 9.5 games back. Some lowlights: The Orioles offense managed just five hits off of Vin Mazzaro today. They scored just five runs in Oakland and surrendered 18 runs on the weekend. Matt Wieters (0-for-4 today), who created mass hysteria and a one-weekend run on the orange box office last weekend, is now officially “slumping” in his big-league debut. He’s 4-for-28 and hitting .143. Adam

Birds and turds and Sunday musing…

Nestor Aparicio

Where are my U.S. Soccer fans? Who was watching the game last night? If you’re among the many who would say, “What, there was a soccer game last night?” it’s time to awaken to World Cup season. Yep, Uncle Sam’s boys played last night in apparent silence across America for the sports team that represents us to the World on the grandest stage every four years. And last night’s was a qualifier, no less. On American soil, in Chicago at Soldier Field. And, in embarrassing fashion, the stadium looked more like Red Sox fans at Camden Yards as most of Honduras found its way to the Windy City. They announced the crowd at 55,000-plus and it easily topped 35,000 Hondurans in the house on a gorgeous night there. The U.S. got behind early (again) but found a way to escape with a 2-1 victory all but guaranteeing their safe passage to South Africa next June for the World Cup. Drew Forrester (who has forgotten more about soccer than I’ll ever know) has a full account of the game here… As many of you know, I’m a bit of a dweeb for World Cup soccer and I attended the Germany “Copa

Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy: Birds give finale away in 3-2 loss to Seattle

Nestor Aparicio

While we’re all drinking the orange Kool Aid these days in hopes of “better days ahead,” it’s losses like last night’s in Seattle that keep anyone who appreciates good baseball scratching our heads in disgust. After a series of boneheaded baserunning blunders and mental mistakes, the Orioles finally succumbed to the Mariners in a 3-2 loss at Safeco Field when Adrian Beltre hit a seeing-eye single past Cesar Izturis off Jim Johnson in the 9th inning to win the game. Aubrey Huff – allegedly a veteran – not only got picked off of third base by Mariners catcher Rob Johnson in the sixth inning to kill a rally but was also caught stealing in the ninth to thwart any chance of a go-ahead run. To his credit, Huff faced the music afterward, telling The Sun: “There’s no reason to get picked off right there. That’s just a stupid rookie mistake by a veteran guy. It can’t happen. There’s no reason for me to be off the base that much. If Wieters gets a hit, I’m scoring anyway. It was really, really stupid.” At least he’s showing some accountability for his losing behavior. Perhaps sometime soon someone will ask Dave Trembley

Brady Anderson weighs in on Angelos’ reputation

Nestor Aparicio

It’s been a little while since I’ve spoken with Brady Anderson but the last time we chatted we had a very spirited debate regarding Peter Angelos’ contributions to Baltimore sports. Today, Anderson wrote an op-ed piece for The Baltimore Sun. Clearly, a lot has changed since Brady Anderson rolled his roller blades through the droves of people who gathered at the Inner Harbor every day for Orioles games back in the halcyon days of Camden Yards and competitive baseball. And let’s be honest: Angelos trumped his own general manager 10 years ago when he gave Anderson a $30 million contract. Brady has millions and millions of reasons to be loyal to Angelos. But, nontheless, it’s an interesting read.

Rich Hill looked like McNally or McGregor; Birds win 1-0 in Seattle

Nestor Aparicio

12:26 a.m. — George Sherrill threw three straight balls to start the ninth inning but did his best Don Stanhouse escape, ultimately shutting the door on the middle of the Seattle order as the Birds defeated the Mariners 1-0 in a hastily played, well-pitched “old time” ball game. Rich Hill was extraordinary, going seven innings and allowing just two hits while retiring the final 14 Mariners in order before exiting to perfect relief from Jim Johnson and Sherrill. It’s a good homecoming for Adam Jones, who scored the lone run of the game. 1-0 games don’t happen too often. Savor them! It was a great night to stay up late watching baseball. 12:18 a.m. — Rick Dempsey: “You never would’ve thought that the Orioles could get pitching this good!” An odd thing to say, but Dempsey is great for these one liners. And for the record, about two weeks ago I would’ve agreed with him. This team is finding energy from the young pitchers. That much is obvious! 12:14 a.m. –We’ve come a long way from the days of waiting for The Baltimore Sun and the little black boxes on the front page, haven’t we? Jim Johnson has pitched a

Matt Messiah has arrived…now will the wins follow?

Nestor Aparicio

It was a fun weekend to be a real Orioles fan. The kind where the joy of baseball, if it’s ever mattered in your life at any point, comes back in a rush. Sure, all of the steroids and losing and empty nights at Camden Yards have taken their toll over the past 12 years, but the Orioles finally can say they are in the business of “selling hope.” You know why? Because, this time, the fans actually believe in Matt Wieters and what the Orioles are selling. How do I know? Because they announced the three-game crowd this weekend at 108,000 people and for once it didn’t look like they were padding their numbers. The Orioles are selling hope. The Orioles are selling youth. The best minds in baseball say they’re on the right path. The fans are buying the hype and – for the first time – the tickets to the games. People dropped everything and ran to the ballpark this weekend to see the orange Messiah in person. Yes, it was a fun weekend despite the gruesome pair of losses on Saturday and Sunday (not to mention any flaming criticism of manager Dave Trembley, who befuddles many

Somewhere over the Warehouse…and the rainbow!

Nestor Aparicio

Matt Wieters gets tested on the first play of the game. He goes 0-fer at the plate. Brad Bergesen goes eight strong innings. Luke Scott jacks two home runs onto the flag court and drives in five runs. The stadium is packed with orange hopefuls, young and old, and the weather even held off as the Orioles beat the Tigers 7-2 in one of the more “Magical” nights in the history of Camden Yards. Dave Trembley said it perfectly: “Good for our team. Good for our fans. Good for our city.” That about sums it up. And truly is a blog where a picture is worth a thousand words: The Orioles beat up on Dontrelle Willis and have now won five in a row. Brad Bergesen and Luke Scott both got the Adam Jones’ “shaving cream pie in the face” treatment with a frightened Amber Theoharis. Oh, and as Matt Wieters came to bat in the third inning, I snapped this photo above from my seats in Sect. 86 in left field. I also threw together this video: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj7N-xn14R4&feature=channel_page[/youtube]

“Welcome Matt” Party is at The Nest at 5 p.m. (I scored a pair!)

Nestor Aparicio

With gallons of orange kool aid in both hands (not to mention ice cold Bud Light) we will be holding a “Welcome Matt Wieters To Baltimore” celebration (and coronation) at The Nest on Pratt Street at 5 p.m. Friday. Please tell your friends on Facebook, Twitter, etc. to drop by and raise a civic toast for Messiah Matt at 6 p.m. at the main bar! It’ll be a Kodak moment! A generous listener “donated” a pair of seats and off to Birdland we go looking for a “defining moment” and Matt Wieters’ first big-league at bat. If he’s THIS special, I want to say “I was there” like every other fan who has been loving the Orioles since 1973 or beyond. I will be on the air from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and we’ll be running the Coors Light King of Baltimore Sportstalk finale from Padonia Station from 4 til 6. Thyrl Nelson will be in at his usual time with the Mobtown Sports Beat. Special thanks to the mystery guy for the tickets. (I hope they’re upstairs with all of the rowdy kids!) Special thanks to The Nest for hosting a party on short notice. Come early, say

Wieters fever: Will he be the savior that this franchise needs?

Nestor Aparicio

We fully expect that Camden Yards will be packed tomorrow night for the debut of Matt Wieters. It’s a Friday night, the forecast is good and this is probably the most unique evening of baseball in Baltimore since “Fan Appreciation Night” back in May 1988, when the team was greeted with unconditional love after an 0-21 start. Clearly, the Orioles marketing folks have finally put the “WNST Cap” on and used an evening to create an “event.” They were already guaranteed about 30,000 on a $6 student/fireworks night. And after a couple of years of press, accolades and hype, the can’t-miss-kid is coming to town. They could’ve made his debut tonight, but they’ve chosen a night when they were already en route to a full house. This alone, is a departure from some of their foolish decisions related to getting people interested in the team. Here’s where you can make all of the jokes about how few people still DO go to Orioles games. Yesterday, the Orioles battled back from an 8-3 deficit to win a game in dramatic, 11th-inning style with a walk-off home run by young Nolan Reimold and there weren’t 5,000 people in the stadium to witness

Luke Jones is crowned the Coors Light King of Baltimore Sportstalk winner

Nestor Aparicio

Luke Jones was crowned the Coors Light King of Baltimore Sportstalk tonight, beating six other finalists with great interviewing style, a vast knowledge of the local sports scene and impeccable blogs over the past eight weeks of the competition. Marco Romanell finished second in the judges’ voting, followed by Lawson Lambert and Todd Salkowski. Jerry Reinhardt, Tom Clayton and Chris Stoner were also great competitors over the past two months of competitive blogging and sports media. Jones is headed to Bermuda via the Port of Baltimore courtesy of Royal Caribbean and The Cruise Lady of Canton. We had a packed house of supporters — many of them related to Marco Romanell — who were feisty, rowdy and very supportive of their loved ones and friends. It was truly a great night for WNST.net, as Brian Billick and John Buren joined Drew Forrester, Bob Haynie, Glenn Clark and myself in the judicial process. We’ll be hearing and reading more from all seven of the contestants as they were all outstanding and energetic about the process of learning the craft of Baltimore sports journalism in the new media era. Nice people. Big sports fans. Lots of talent. We might make this an

What does Wieters’ promotion mean to you as a Baltimore Orioles fan?

Nestor Aparicio

Needless to say, there will be a virtual overkill of speculation about Matt Wieters today at WNST.net and AM 1570. Here’s your chance to write what’s on YOUR mind about his pending promotion on Friday. Comments welcomed below. Is it good? Is it bad? Are you going to the game? Are you excited? Will Friday be a historic day in the history of the Orioles moving forward? Tell us how you feel… Even good “one liners” are welcomed…

So just who the heck is Jason Berken?

Nestor Aparicio

With Memorial Day in the rear view mirror and the squad on a mini-streak of daylight (they’ve won 3 of 4), the Orioles will welcome young RHP Jason Berken to the hill tonight to take on the fading Toronto Blue Jays. Starting in Aberdeen during the summer of 2006, Berken’s trip becomes complete tonight as a big leaguer. How long will he stay? How will he pitch? Who the heck is Jason Berken? All fair questions for the novice Orioles fan who doesn’t spend late nights up studying the team’s minor-league depth chart. Berken is a former 6th-round Draft pick out of Clemson who spent most of the spring at the team’s slummy complex in Sarasota, Fla. He went 12-4 for Bowie last season and started there again this year, but he moved up to Triple-A Norfolk when Bergesen joined the big league rotation. And once he arrived in Norfolk, Berken went 2-0 with a 1.05 ERA putting himself in position to be promoted tonight. It’s also his turn in the rotation and his night to pitch. So, we’ll have to wait on Jake Arrieta, Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz not to mention David Hernandez, who could be taking Koji

A weekend of MASN and Baltimore and Washington and “Battle of Basement”

Nestor Aparicio

Well, if they weren’t going to get the sweep at least they lost in dramatic fashion. Jamie Walker gave up a prodigious grand slam to Adam Dunn in the 7th inning and the Nats beat the O’s 8-5 to avert a sweep in D.C. Brad Bergesen pitched well enough. The Orioles battled and the game was pretty nip and tuck through the middle innings with lead changes, big hits and competitiveness. But it all unraveled in the 7th for the O’s bullpen after Bergesen hit the shower. I’ve spent all three days pretty much glued to the TV watching this series. I was just as amazed by all of the empty seats as I was the full ones. It looks like they sold a lot of tickets and many didn’t come. It was just weird looking at it for 30 innings over the last 45 hours. I’ve been wanting to write a blog all weekend but I thought I’d just do a “summary” here today about what I’m thinking as I watch all of this pretty-much lousy baseball. I’m also a little overwhelmed with MASN’s hodgepodge display of Nats and O’s as “friendly rivals” and how chummy the “Battle of

Proof: Pittsburgh really does suck more than Baltimore

Nestor Aparicio

I’m doing my usual Memorial Day “chill” downtown in the world’s most beautiful city — that’s Baltimore, folks — and scanning the web and tripped across an ESPN.com piece about the Pittsburgh Pirates and their ineptitude. I intuitively knew they they haven’t played playoff baseball in the Steel City since Barry Bonds in 1992. I honestly don’t think about the Pirates too much and it’s the lone “new” ballpark that I’ve never entered. (Although I am a big fan of Primanti Sandwiches! The only saving grace — besides leaving of course — that Pittsburgh has, in my humble opinion.) The Pirates have had 17 consecutive seasons of losing. As long as Camden Yards has existed, they’ve stunk. Almost just like us, with the Angelos Orioles. But there is a considerable difference. Or a whole volume of them, really. The Orioles HAD it all — a huge market, suites, fans, corporate sponsors, the best legacy in baseball and heroes — and blew it. The Pirates were on the verge of potentially “breaking through” but the market limitations and the general dirge of Three Rivers Stadium (by FAR, the worst stadium I ever saw a baseball game in because the seats were

Adam Jones wins one: Orioles outlast Nats 4-2 in 12 innings

Nestor Aparicio

Somewhere, there’s a Bob Hope like joke here somewhere. Ya know, “What the only thing worse than watching two last place teams play for nine innings?” Of course, deadpanned: “Watching them play for 12 innings.” But that’s what I did tonight as the Orioles and Nationals pitching staffs combined to duel well into the night in a 2-2 deadlock until Adam Jones hit a two-run double, improbably scoring pitcher Danys Baez who also vultured the victory in Washington D.C. Nolan Reimold got the “Battle of The Beltway” started with a homer in the first inning off of rookie starter Jordan Zimmerman but that was all of the offense the O’s could manage before the 12th inning. O’s starter Rich Hill was decent, going 5 2/3 innings and allowing just three hits although he walked four Nats as well. Manager Dave Trembley used four members of the bullpen — Matt Albers, Jim Johnson, Baez and George Sherrill — so there will be an extra tax for the extra baseball tonight.

Yankees blow out Orioles for second straight night

Nestor Aparicio

Trying to find good news about the Orioles these days is hard. Other than the fact that Adam Jones is in the lineup and the call-up of Matt Wieters is “imminent” in the minds of some, watching this team night after night is an invitation to frustration. Last night, No. 1 starter Jeremy Guthrie gave up three homers in a row in the second inning to Nick Swisher, Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera but the team battled back to within 5-3 by the fifth inning. Guthrie turned the game over to Danys Baez in the 8th inning and all hell broke loose again as the Yankees batted around after Mark Texieira made the first out of the inning on a strikeout. All told, Baez and Jamie Walker allowed six “icing” runs and the Orioles lost 11-4 to the Yankees in The Bronx. The Yankees go for the three-game sweep tonight, sending Joba Chamberlain (2-1, 3.76) to the mound against Adam Eaton (2-4, 7.93), who has been so bad that tonight could very well be his swan song as an Orioles starter. A few notes: * Adam Jones added two more hits last night, including a homer in the 5th inning,

Yankee Stadium trip: I now know what a $9 beer tastes like

Nestor Aparicio

The Miller Lite was ice cold. Our Gunther charter got us to The Bronx plenty early yesterday. And the “new” Yankee Stadium was big, bold and pricey as promised. We were having a blast last night amidst a sea of pinstripers right up until the time Chris Ray came into the game. And, of course, it’s hard to win when you only get three hits over nine innings. Orioles starting pitcher Brad Bergesen kept the Birds in the game for six innings, pitching some inspired baseball after allowing ARod a first-inning home run. But Ray’s seventh inning implosion and the dominance of C.C. Sabathia, who allowed just three hits in seven innings, led to a blowout 9-1 Yankees win in Gotham City. The video from the trip is coming to wnsTV and the many observations about the stadium will be discussed on “Limited Access” at 2 p.m. today. All in all, a beautiful, antiseptic environment for baseball in New York is kinda weird but the fans there certainly seem galvanized to support the club and spend the money to come to the new palace. Did I mention that a beer cost me $9? There was palpable energy in the seats

An improving bullpen is a good sign for O’s

Nestor Aparicio

As an Orioles fan who hasn’t seen the franchise play a meaningful game in 12 years, living with the adage “one day at a time” has become a house rule. And for today, the bullpen and a quality start last night by Rich Hill gives a few causes for hope. Hill threw 88 pitches, left the game in the sixth inning with a one-run lead and Danys Baez, Jim Johnson and George Sherrill took care of business, allowing just one Kansas City runner on base over the remainder of the game. Of course, the Royals of 2009 won’t be confused with the 1929 Yankees, either. But a 3-2 win in Kansas City is acceptable and the Birds will send Koji Uehara to the hill today against Luke Hochevar. Be prepared for fireworks: Hochevar (6-14, 5.64 lifetime ERA) gave up eight hits and seven runs in two innings during his 2009 debut last Tuesday against Oakland. And that’s only after Sidney Ponson stunk so bad they promoted this stiff from Omaha. The Orioles go for another series win today. Only the delayed freight train of Zach Greinke could slow them down on Friday night. The new ballpark design in Kansas City

Green spaces & happy faces: Here’s what was truly missing from Preakness 2009

Nestor Aparicio

As you probably already know, the infield was virtually empty today at Pimlico for Preakness 134. It made me sick to see the event virtually disappear, but it also galvanized me enough to believe that perhaps now that the drunk idiots are gone, perhaps the event can be revived over the next generation as a proud, local, celebration of spring and horse racing and our community — an event people with families want to attend again for the rest of their lives. If you went to the race today you know what I’m talking about. It was actually a GREAT event. The weather was decent for most of the day before the rains came around 6 p.m. The beer was cold and priced fairly. The food was diverse and easy to order. There was PLENTY of “open space” as well to lay in the sun, have a picnic, relax, bet the races. And I’ll bet it’s almost universal: the people who went today had a blast! Like all of the smiling people I saw singing along to ZZ Top classics, I had a great day today at Old Hilltop. I saw friends on the infield. I saw friends in the

I’m betting on Papa Clem again…

Nestor Aparicio

For all of the reasons that I mentioned two weeks ago when the horses turned for home at Churchill Downs, I’m betting on Papa Clem again today. And, just because Clem Florio loved women as much as I do, I’m doing an exacta box with Rachel Alexandra as well. I might even throw Pioneer Of The Nile into a triple box and see if I can make some real money today at Pimlico. Weather looks more than dreary so far, but I’m headed over to the infield shortly to see what’s different about the first Preakness where underage kids aren’t holding 10 cases of beer on a beat-up 8-foot table waiting to go inside to run across urinals and have people throw objects at them. It might actually be fun this year. At least, I’m thinking this will be a great day! Stacey Keibler, Charm City Devils, Buckcherry (who I dig, but I’ve never seen) and ZZ Top should make the day a great one. Happy Preakness to all of you who still care about stuff like civic pride and sentimentality. Go Papa Clem!

Coors Light King of Baltimore Sportstalk semifinals airs at 4 p.m. today

Nestor Aparicio

We’re down to the final seven contestants in the Coors Light King of Baltimore Sportstalk competition after Wednesday night’s live semifinals at Donna’s Tavern in Dundalk. Today on Limited Access, we’ll play the five-minute auditions from the 11 semifinalists on AM 1570 beginning just after 4 p.m. and we’ll have all of the videos up in the wnsTV vault by day’s end as well. We have a great show today with our WNST.net horse racing analyst Gary Quill sitting in from 2 til 4 and we’ll have visits from Daily Racing Form’s Marty McGee as well as our very own Stacey Keibler, who is the head honcho celebrity at this year’s Preakness. Now, if we could get the fog to clear…

Seven contestants move on in Coors Light King Of Baltimore Sportstalk contest

Nestor Aparicio

After an evening of fun interviews, cold beer and bad hockey and baseball in Dundalk last night at Donna’s Tavern, the Coors Light King of Baltimore Sportstalk has produced seven finalists for the two-month blogging and sports radio competition. The seven contestants moving forward are: Todd Salkowski, Jerry Reinhardt, Luke Jones, Christopher Stoner, Tom Clayton, Lawson Lambert and Marco Romanell. Each of last night’s contestants were given a special “Baltimore Sports Quiz,” which was produced by a WNST interior panel of hosts. We’ll post the actual questions from the quiz on a later blog but the questions were universally deemed “hard” by most of the contestants. Of course, my answer to that was simple: “The JOB is hard!” And it is… Special thanks to our local “mystery” celebrities last night: legendary sportswriter Phil Jackman and former MLB rock star Bill Ripken came to Donna’s Tavern last night and participated and laughed with many WNST listeners and friends and families of the contestants. The format was simple: we drew random names of hosts and then a random interview from a rotation of Jackman, Ripken, Drew Forrester, Bob Haynie and myself. The questions and interview segments were part comedy, part history and

Take the ultimate Baltimore Sportstalk quiz now!

Nestor Aparicio

There are many, many “pre-requisites” for being able to successfully be a Baltimore sports media member (in my humble opinion) circa 2009. Many, many times over the last 17 years I’ve railed against and “outed” various phonies, Johnny-come-latelys and “faux” sports media members in our marketplace. These are the same people who call me the “amateur” when they can’t even grasp basic sports history in the marketplace and aren’t prepared or qualified to take a simple phone call about anything that happened before 2006. As a kid growing up in Dundalk and reading the paper, listening to the radio and watching the 6 o’clock news, I always thought that anyone who worked in the local sports media MUST know more than me about sports. How could they NOT, I thought? “Isn’t that their JOB?” I thought as a young person in the early 1980’s. Well, it didn’t take long as a 15-year old at The News American and then later The Evening Sun and The Sun to realize that knowing anything about sports was secondary to politics, race, gender, education and a whole bunch of other nasty and patently unfair “real world” issues that superceded actual knowledge, dedication and ability.

Orioles finally give the call to Nolan Reimold

Nestor Aparicio

Outfield prospect Nolan Reimold will finally be joining the Orioles in Kansas City today as the team will recall him and send pitcher Bob McCrory back to Norfolk after a rough outing last night against the Rays in a 8-6 loss. Reimold’s numbers at AAA have been staggering. He’s hitting .394 with 9 home runs, 11 doubles and 27 RBI in just 109 at bats and 31 games. The Orioles brass has been adament that Reimold would only be recalled when he could play every day in the big leagues. With the injuries and various ailments to Luke Scott, Felix Fie and now Adam Jones this week, this call-up isn’t as much a “reward” as it is a necessity for the organization who have played the last two games short on the bench. Here is Reimold’s year in stats…

Triple losses: First the Caps, then the Orioles, then Danny Gokey

Nestor Aparicio

Despite the fun we had in Dundalk last night with an evening of 12 semifinal auditions at Donna’s Tavern, it was an ugly night for local sports. The Capitals fell behind early and had one of the most disappointing Game 7 efforts in recent memory. The Orioles got clubbed by the Rays while Adam Jones left the game early with a hamstring pull. And, adding insult to the injury that effectively ended my hockey season, my favorite American Idol contestant Danny Gokey got bounced by the American public in a shocking turn of events. (Somehow, I think Kris Allen got through just because he looks like Brian Roberts!) The Capitals played the entire postseason from behind and last night it finally caught up with them. Simeon Varlamov’s magic ended quite early last night and Bruce Boudreau and the troops must be devastated – if not embarrassed – by that performance in a Game 7 last night. It’s always hard getting eliminated, but not showing up prepared to compete in a game like last night is unacceptable. The home-ice advantage was nullified pretty early last night in D.C. and it will be a tough offseason after losing a game in that

Share the Game 7 madness with us tonight in Dundalk!

Nestor Aparicio

Tonight in Washington D.C., a place where five years ago hockey was a rumor or perhaps a myth, the Capitals will host the Penguins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs’ second round. I don’t need to tell you that it will be one of the best sporting events of this (or any) year. I can all but guarantee it. Honestly, tell me another sport — other than an NFL playoff game, but even those are influenced by injuries, weather, weird bounces, blowouts, etc. — where you know you’ll be getting what you’re paying for tonight. It’s 3-3. The teams clearly don’t like each other. The penalties have been lopsided in the Penguins direction. The “one name” stars are all out — my man Jim Williams of The Examiner wrote about the incredible worldwide audience for this game — Ovechkin and Federov, Sidney and Malkin. Who’ll win? The pesky Capitals who have been outplayed dramatically but have been incredibly resiliant and realiably cardiac over the past three weeks certainly have a shot. They are the NHL team with nine lives at this point. A home crowd of 20,000 red maniacs, taunting Sidney Crosby and Segei Gonchar not to mention

Hendrickson stinks but bullpen holds up, Birds beat Rays 7-5

Nestor Aparicio

Betting the “over” in last night’s game certainly looked like a sure thing over the first three innings but once starters Andy Sonnanstine and Mark Hendrickson left the game the real pitching took over and the Orioles held on to beat Tampa Bay 7-5 last night at Camden Yards. All of the scoring took place before the 4th inning and both bullpens were taxed in the interim, with Brian Bass emerging as the biggest star on the hill, working four scoreless innings after Adam Jones hit homers in the first and second innings of the game. So much for starting pitching: Sonnanstine gave up nine hits and seven earned runs in two innings and Hendrickson’s evening was just as ugly as he allowed six hits and five earned runs in two innings. Felix Pie left the game with an undisclosed stomach ailment and was actually transported to the hospital. Without Luke Scott tonight, they O’s may play with just two bench players. Could a call-up be looming? The Orioles go for yet another “mini” sweep tonight as they send Brad Bergesen (1-0, 4.98) to the hill against Tampa’s Jeff Niemann (2-3, 5.65).

Sports Illustrated calls Angelos “worst owner in MLB”

Nestor Aparicio

Well, at least SOMEONE agrees with me. I’ve written tomes, if not The Illyiad, on the ownership debacle that has purged most of the fans of the Orioles from Oriole Park at Camden Yards over the last 15 years. Now, SI.com and Sports Illustrated have concurred. P.S. The article also calls Steve Bisciotti the No. 5 “best owner” in the NFL. Here is the piece from SI.com…posted earlier today.

Preakness on my mind…

Nestor Aparicio

I’m up early this morning and reading online about the Preakness and where it stands in the realm of the sports world circa 2009. I’ve been googling videos, watching drunken fights, potty races, some bare breasts and (oh yeah) horse racing and a history and legacy that defines sports in Baltimore and Maryland over the last century. This week I could most certainly write my annual “Can The Preakness Be Saved?” blog/column and now that I’m back on the radio maybe it’s time to have a spirited debate about the Preakness and its merits on AM 1570. Does it matter? Do you like the changes to infield? Are you going this week? When’s the last time you went? (Or, when is the last time you went to any track, period?) Why don’t you go? Do you know how to read the Racing Form? If you do go, why do you go? I’m actually going to the race on Saturday and have been asked to participate on one of the stages and interview some of the stars of the event. I’m excited and honored. I love the Preakness but I also readily and sadly admit its incredible decline from once reverent

Game 7 is a go: Caps beat Penguins 5-4 in OT

Nestor Aparicio

The Washington Capitals season will march on after a 5-4 overtime win in Pittsburgh that was one of the more exciting events of the year. David Steckel’s tip-in off a shot from Brooks Laich went past Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury at 6:22 of overtime and the Caps have forged a Game 7 on Wednesday at Verizon Center. We watched the action at Silver Spring Mining Company with another packed house of Rock The Red nuts. It’s as much fun as I’ve had in years, especially sharing hockey with a community of like-minded fans. It’s like a little mini-Ravens fan celebration. The game was sensational throughout with the Caps holding leads throughout the third period only to allow the Penguins to force overtime on a goal from Sidney Crosby with 4:14 remaining in regulation. It could’ve been devastating and the Caps even put the Penguins on a power play on a slashing call on Brooks Laich with 2:02 remaining in the third period. The Caps tightened up. They got the game into overtime and found a way to win. Even Alexander Semin came back to life tonight, scoring a goal in the second period. I’ve said it many, many time. Game

Mike Green’s missing stick

Nestor Aparicio

I took a call this afternoon about the disappearance of Mike Green’s offense in the Pittsburgh series. The caller referred to Drew’ diatribe this morning about a “stick” issue. Apparently, his sticks were discontinued. It’s an interesting story because sticks are VERY personal for NHL players. I covered the league intimately for 10 years. Every player brandishes his own blow torch, tape, angle and ruler. It’s a big deal to have to change sticks, like a baseball player changing bats. I did a little research and found the story here for you. Rock the red tonight!

Ryan Freel latest ex-Oriole to be “overwhelmed with joy” to be gone

Nestor Aparicio

As predicted, it didn’t take Ryan Freel long to squawk to the Chicago media about how miserable his experience was as an employee of Angelos’ Army in Baltimore. He was traded by Andy McPhail for speedy outfielder Joey Gathright on Friday afternoon. His more vitriolic quotes apparently came “off the record” but he did say that he’s “overwhelmed with joy” to no longer be an Oriole and he told the Cubs equipment manager to “burn” his Orioles equipment bag. Oh, and he said: “I don’t want any Birds around my locker.” Read the whole piece here…

Bullpen melts down to Yanks after strong outing from Koji, Orioles lose 5-3

Nestor Aparicio

4:43 p.m. — Well, I was feeling good when Felix Pie got on base for the third time today but it wasn’t meant to be. The Orioles got a nice effort from Koji Uehara today but the Jamie Walker-Jim Johnson combo couldn’t hold the lead after the 7th and a pair of homers from Robinson Cano and Johnny Damon beat the Orioles 5-3 at Camden Yards. The Orioles are now 13-19 and are 7-17 since beginning the season 6-2. They get a rare off day tomorrow and will resume action Tuesday night at Camden Yards with Andy Sonnenstine (1-3, 5.79) and Mark Hendrickson (1-4, 5.13) going to the hill. Below is my running live blog. 4:32 p.m. — I agree with most of the comparisons of George Sherrill to Don Stanhouse, who gave us thrills in the summer of 1979. The only difference? This 2009 team stinks some 30 years later. Either way, he put a couple on and managed to silence Johnny Damon with the game in the balance. They’re already down two with Rivera en route. They need a happy ending. But they have the dreaded 7-8-9 hitters coming to the plate. Not a good scenario. I need

Orioles can make all Moms happy today with Yanks series win

Nestor Aparicio

The Orioles have the chance to make all orange Moms smile today with a potential series win over the Yankees at Camden Yards after an impressive 12-5 win last night. Once again, the middle of the lineup is sizzling and even on nights when they give up a less-than modest five runs, they can beat around mediocre pitching with the likes of Phil Hughes, Edwar Ramirez, Jonathan Albaladejo and Brett Tomko. (Makes you ask, “Where have you gone Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton?”) Adam Jones and Nick Markakis are both batting .353 now, and have been rock stars since Opening Day. They are both now making a strong bid to be in St. Louis for the All Star Game. Aubrey Huff hit a homer last night and I’m not convinced last year was an aberration. Go back and read my blogs. He was one of my favorite “non Orioles” to watch when he was in Tampa Bay. He always put up big numbers and I think with ducks on the pond so often this year, he’ll be productive. Even if he still thinks Baltimore sucks as a place to party after dark. Hey, even my boy Gregg Zaun is batting

All 13 King of Baltimore hopefuls invited to Donna’s in Dundalk on Wednesday

Nestor Aparicio

If you watch “American Idol,” then you know the phrase, “You’re going to Hollywood!” If you’ve heard our “Coors Light King (or Queen) of Baltimore Sportstalk” you now know the phrase: “You’re going to Dundalk!” We decided to not eliminate any of the 13 candidates and have all of them come out to Dundalk do a “live” segment in a crowded tavern with celebrity judges and a whole group of WNST staffers. So, on Wednesday, everyone is invited to come out and meet, greet and cheer for your favorites in our competition. The party starts at 7 p.m. and each of the 13 will have a “mystery” assignment. As you can imagine, we have some surprises up our sleeve. Plus, Donna’s Tavern in Dundalk has a great stage, excellent food and friendly folks. Here is the note I sent out to the hopefuls on Saturday: Hello future King (or Queen): After deliberating through the week and reading and listening and watching your work, we’ve decided that cutting people from the “Coors Light King (or Queen) of Baltimore Sportstalk” competition at this point would be counterproductive to the process in a few ways: 1.    I sense all of you are committed

State launches new marketing initiative

Nestor Aparicio

In a long-overdue announcement, the State of Maryland held a press conference this morning to announce that they’re getting serious about luring major events to the region with the formation of a joint coalition between the Governor, the Stadium Authority and a marketing group formed specifically to generate sports-related tourism and revenue here. I attended the press conference and will discuss it on “Limited Access” at 2 p.m. today. The basic premise was a website launch and an organized outreach that will lure events — both recreational and professional — to venues throughout the state. A good idea, I think. We’ll see what the benefits are beyond the obvious: AC Milan and Chelsea at M&T Bank Stadium on July 24. (By the way, they’ve sold 52,000 seats so far for the event!) Here’s the press release: STATE EXPANDS SPORTS MARKETING, LAUNCHES MARYLAND ‘HERE TO PLAY’ Cal Ripken Jr., State officials unveil comprehensive sports marketing database Baltimore, Maryland (May 8, 2009) – Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development Secretary Christian S. Johansson and Maryland Stadium Authority Chairman John Morton, III were joined by Cal Ripken, Jr. and more than 100 sports industry executives at Oriole Park at Camden Yards today

Orioles make it two in a row with mini-sweep of Twins

Nestor Aparicio

It wasn’t a textbook victory last night for the Orioles (12-17) but they’ll take wins anywhere they can find them. After an evening of soggy weather and a six-inning win on Wednesday night, the Birds came back to Camden Yards and finished the mini-sweep with a 5-4 win over the Twins led by Melvin Mora and unlikely Lou Montanez. Mora homered in the second and got on base in the eighth before Montanez singled to left to account for the game-winning RBI. The usual speedy work of Brad Bergesen on the hill picked up the pace of the game, but he was in trouble most of the evening and worked some Houdini magic to avoid big innings. All told, the Twins managed 14 hits off of O’s pitching — including 11 off Bergesen in just six innings — but could never plate runs in bunches. Reliever Chris Ray struggled in the 7th inning, allowing the Twins to tie the game after inheriting a one-run lead, but Jim Johnson was stellar in the 8th inning to vulture a victory and George Sherrill managed to finish a sweaty 9th to earn fifth save of the year. Afterward, manager Dave Trembley gave praise

Remembering Cal Ripken and China…

Nestor Aparicio

It’s been more than 18 months since I traveled halfway across the planet with Cal Ripken and his crew for the Beijing baseball mission. With the release of “A Shortstop in China,” it’s given me a chance to “relive” some of the fun I had in the Far East as well. I’ve heard spectacular reports about the movie, created locally by the Renegade guys who were our constant companions in Beijing. They were fun and they are widely featured in my “movies” from China. Below are my memoirs from the fun of traveling to a different culture and seeing the world. Of all of the videos I’ve shot for wnsTV over the two years of WNST.net, these are by far my favorite films. Sure, they’re all about 10 minutes long, but if you wanted to know what it was like to see China and be with Cal Ripken for several days, I hope these paint a vivid picture of what was truly a trip of a lifetime for me. I enjoyed living them and I enjoyed making them. Honestly, what good is going to China if you can’t share the experience with others? I hope you check them out if

Orioles and MLB continue to insult fans with “rainball” at Camden Yards

Nestor Aparicio

While you and most everyone you know was asleep last night, the Orioles, MLB and umpire Randy Marsh were seeing to it that a regulation major league game was played last night at Camden Yards. In an embarrassing display of disregard for the fans and the players in a game that “officially” went until 12:19 a.m. this morning, Marsh spent six hours of the evening through four rain delays to get the Twins and Orioles onto the field for six innings of water-logged baseball and the Orioles stole a 4-1 win. Today, on “Limited Access” at 2 p.m., we’ll be discussing how it’s evenings like Wednesday night and the utter disregard for the paying customers and their own athletes that continue to find Oriole Park empty most nights.  Can you imagine having a full-priced ticket for last night’s game and having to endure an evening at the ballpark where it rains all night and they insist on playing the game against any common sense? As expected, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was red-faced with anger and livid that the game ever began — and anyone who looked at the forecast and/or the radar could’ve seen that the chances of playing a

Wanna follow the MLB Draft?

Nestor Aparicio

If you listened to today’s edition of Limited Access, you now know about Ben Hyman, a local product and son

Preakness on my mind…

Nestor Aparicio

I’m up early this morning and reading online about the Preakness and where it stands in the realm of the

Mike Green’s missing stick

Nestor Aparicio

I took a call this afternoon about the disappearance of Mike Green’s offense in the Pittsburgh series. The caller referred

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